A blog exploring morality, politics, and religion.

Southern Baptists affirm belief in “eternal, conscious punishment”

Posted on July 25, 2011

As you might already know, Michigan pastor Rob Bell has stirred controversy in the Christian community for suggesting in his new book that the idea “a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better” is both “misguided and toxic.”

In fact, this bothered the Southern Baptist Convention so much that the group recently approved a resolution, titled “On the Reality of Hell,” that affirms their belief that Hell is real, and is “eternal, conscious punishment.” Take a look:

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, June 14-15, 2011, do hereby affirm our belief in the biblical teaching on eternal, conscious punishment of the unregenerate in Hell;

and be it finally RESOLVED, That out of our love for Christ and for His glory, and our love for lost people and our deep desire that they not suffer eternally in Hell, we implore Southern Baptists to proclaim faithfully the depth and gravity of sin against a holy God, the reality of Hell, and the salvation of sinners by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.